I Am Found
by Phantom Actress
Summary: Cosette was hiding in the closet again to escape from Madame. That was when arrived. Monsieur Marius. The boy who showed her more kindness than any one. Cosette always remembered that. One shot. Based on the 2012 film.


**This idea kind of just came to me one day. It's been unfinished on my laptop for a while now. So I finished it and now here I am.**

**I don't own Les Miserables.**

* * *

I Am Found

Cosette was hiding from Madame again, for fear she was going to earn a beating because business was slow that day. It wasn't uncommon to get hit because of something like that. In fact, that was usually the reason Cosette was abused by the Thenardiers. The closet wasn't the most confrontable place on earth, but at least Madame's cold hands weren't slapping her.

The sounds of someone coming into the inn were heard. This gave Cosette hope. Maybe she would be forgotten. Being forgotten sounded so nice. So freeing. But there was no such luck.

"Come here, Cosette! I need you!" Madame exclaimed, sounding almost sweeter than usual.

Slowly, Cosette stepped out of the closet. Madame was smiling down at her. She took Cosette's hand. She flinched. There was going to be an even worse beating today. Cosette could tell. Madame was never this _sweet _to her unless it was time for a really good beating. Cosette braced herself as she was lead into the pub if the inn. And she was surprised.

There was a boy who looked to be her own age. His hazel eyes studied her. Cosette could only stare back. A boy. There was a little boy in the inn. Cosette had never seen a boy her age staying at the inn. The boy didn't look surprised at Cosette. He grinned at her, making Cosette blush.

"This is Marius Pontmercy, dear," Madame introduced, "Monsieur Pontmercy, my daughter Cosette. I apologize that Éponine couldn't play with you, dear boy. But you must excuse her. She was up very late last night and didn't get much sleep."

"Can you show me around, Cosette?" Marius asked her.

Cosette nodded, her mouth gone dry. To her surprise, again, Marius took her hand. She looked up at Madame, who smiled back. Marius started leading the way. He was such a gentleman. Unlike Monsieur Thenardier.

"What is it like living here, Cosette?" Marius wondered, attempting to make small talk if this girl wouldn't.

What was it like? Horrible. Cosette only got the burnt crusts of bread to eat, when eating was necessary according to the Thenardiers. She preformed all the chores. At night, Cosette only had a thin blanket to keep warm.

"Normal?" Cosette said, more of a question than an answer.

"What kind of normal?"

"I don't know."

They were quiet for a few more minutes. Cosette showed him the kitchen. At one point, Cosette had to convince Marius to stay away from the buckets of stolen goods. Who knew what Madame would do to her, if Marius saw that. If he told his grandfather that the innkeepers were thieves, Cosette would die.

"It's my birthday tomorrow," Marius told her, as they walked up the stairs to the rooms.

"What's a birthday?" Cosette questioned, turning to face him.

She remembered Madame saying something about a birthday before. But Cosette did not quite know what it ment. There was a party of some sort involved but that was all she remembered.

Marius looked shocked. "You _don't _know what a birthday is?" Cosette shook her head. "Well, it's when you turn a year older. Like I'm six and I turn seven tomorrow."

"Seven what?"

"Years old." Marius said it like it was the most obvious thing on Earth.

Cosette looked down in shame. "I don't know how old I am."

When Cosette had gathered enough courage to look back up at the boy, he was scanning her. Cosette had expected a blow for not knowing that. In her mind, that's what happened when you answer a question wrong. Or did anything wrong.

"I think that your about five or six years old, Mademoiselle," said Marius, looking her up and down.

The young girl blushed again. Marius thought that she was old enough to be called "Mademoiselle". The word felt so good. Marius beamed at her, making Cosette turn even redder. By this point she must of looked like a tomato.

"What else is there, Mademoiselle?" Marius wondered, taking her hand.

Her heart melted. Cosette had never been shown this much kindness. By anyone. Certainty not such a sweet boy like Marius.

"`Ponine's room is that way," Cosette informed him, "But I think that she's sleeping."

At that moment, Éponine came out her room.

"I'm not asleep!" she shouted.

"Hello," said Marius, smiling at her.

Cosette's heart fluttered. Marius didn't call Éponine "mademoiselle". Just herself. Perhaps for once someone liked Cosette better than Éponine.

Éponine studied Marius. Finally her lips curled into a smile. She took his hand, making Marius let go of hers. Cosette felt her lip tremble. Her only friend was taken away from her. Just like everything else.

"Come with me. I don't know why you'd want to hang out with _her. _She's no one," Éponine told Marius, "Now what was your name?"

After Marius introduced himself to Éponine, she led him away. Cosette watched them disappear. Without knowing what else to do, Cosette went back to hide in the closet.

* * *

A few years later, Cosette had been adopted by Jean Valjean. She was happy during the day, but at night, the nightmares came. After one of the worst ones she had ever had, Valjean went to comfort her.

"Tell me about something happy, Cosette," he whispered to her, smoothing her hair.

"Like what, Papa?"

"Anything. It could be about Catherine, your doll. Or something that you find pretty. Just something happy, Cosette."

This made Cosette think a bit. What made her happy? There was her papa. Playing with Catherine often left her smiling. But she knew just the thing to share.

"Once there was a boy who came to the inn named Marius. He was so nice to me." The memory made Cosette grin. "He told me what a birthday was. But then `Ponine took him away from me. Marius was still so nice to me. Almost as nice as you are to me, Papa."

Valjean kissed the top of Cosette's head.

* * *

After some years, Cosette forgot about Marius. Her lover had as well. The night before he left, while Cosette was asleep, Valjean remembered that night. He had never forgotten it. The memory held a special place in his heart for some time.

Valjean could tell this man was the boy that Cosette had met years before. With a smile he decided that he would let the couple figure it out on their own. With both of their brilliant minds, he was certain that they would be able to figure it out.

* * *

"Maman, how did you and Papa meet?" asked Sophie, Cosette's and Marius's eldest daughter.

Cosette smiled to herself as she recalled the story. She put Sophie on her lap and started to retell the tale.

"Cosette was hiding from Madame, again…"

* * *

**I feel like the ending was a bit cheesy but I was running out of ideas (and time, if you Hamilton nerds know what I mean). I haven't done much Les Mis stuff for a while. **

**Thanks for reading! Please review! **


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